Hemostatic agent and method

ABSTRACT

One aspect of the invention is a method of treating a wound to clot blood. A sponge material is applied to the wound. The sponge comprises a starch having hemostatic properties and at least one binding agent. The sponge may further comprise a porous, flexible material.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 60/847,629, filed Sep. 27, 2006, entitled “Hemostatic Agent andMethod”, the disclosure of which (including draft claims) isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety as if fully set forthherein.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to hemostatic agents and moreparticularly to a hemostatic agent, a method of making hemostaticagents, and a method of treatment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Human blood clots to deter bleeding from wounds. Sometimes, however, itis desirable to stop bleeding and facilitate clotting faster than thehuman body would achieve clotting on its own. To clot blood morequickly, medical personnel will sometimes use hemostatic agents. Ahemostatic agent may promote clotting and thereby stop or controlbleeding. Some individuals may use hemostatic agents to promote morerapid clotting of cuts or other bleeding wounds.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One aspect of the invention is a method of treating a wound to clotblood. A sponge material is applied to the wound. The sponge comprises astarch having hemostatic properties and at least one binding agent. Thesponge may further comprise a porous, flexible material.

The invention has several important technical advantages. Embodiments ofthe invention may have none, some, or all of these advantages withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention. Many types of hemostaticagents come in powder form. Powder can be an inconvenient form ofdelivery as it is difficult to handle. In addition, powder can bedifficult to apply to various areas of the body such as the nose, thegums during oral surgery, or the back. In some embodiments, theinvention allows the user to treat a wound more easily in such places.The invention may employ polysaccharides as hemostatic agents. Mostpolysaccharides are nontoxic to the human body and believed to benontoxic to most animals that may be treated with a hemostatic sponge.The inventors have discovered that a hemostatic sponge with significantflexibility can be made using the techniques described herein. Thus,some embodiments may include a hemostatic sponge that can be manipulatedin various ways without cracking or tearing. Some embodiments may usemodified pregelatinized potato starch as a hemostatic agent. This agentmay be easily absorbed by the body and may promote stable clottingbecause it is a long branch molecule. It may also promote rapidclotting.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present invention and theadvantages thereof, reference is now made to the following descriptionstaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates one example embodiment of a bandage with a hemostaticagent in accordance with one aspect of the invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of the example embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates a second example embodiment of a bandage with ahemostatic agent in accordance with one aspect of the invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of the example embodiment of FIG. 3before a plunger has been depressed; and

FIG. 5 illustrates a side view of the example embodiment of FIG. 3 aftera plunger has been depressed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The preferred embodiment of the invention and its advantages are bestunderstood by referring to FIGS. 1-5 of the drawings, like numeralsbeing used for like and corresponding parts of the drawings. Theembodiment described herein is only one embodiment of the invention andvarious substitutions and alterations can be made without departing fromthe scope of the invention.

One aspect of the invention is a sponge comprising a hemostatic agent.In some embodiments, the sponge comprises a polysaccharide hemostaticagent. Example polysaccharide hemostatic agents may include natural,plant-based, polysaccharides such as various starches. Potato starch isone polysaccharide that may be used. Amylopectin, and more particularly,modified (cross-linked) pregelatinized amylopectin may be especiallyadvantageous for use in a hemostatic sponge. Natural plant basedpolysaccharides tend to be biocompatible, bisorbable and free of animalcomponents. While plant-based polysaccharides are preferred ashemostatic agents for the invention, gelatin and other animal-derivedpolysaccharides may be used without departing from the scope of theinvention. Other hemostatic agents that may be used may includesephadex, debrisan, a modified starch, chitisan, and unmodifiedstarches. While a sponge will most often contain one hemostatic agent(or have essentially one hemostatic agent where 95% or more of thehemostatic agent is one particular hemostatic agent), the invention isnot so limited. Hemostatic sponges could contain more than onehemostatic agent in significant or insignificant quantities withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention.

In some embodiments where multiple hemostatic agents are used, themultiple agents may include two or more of the agents above. For exampleif amylopectin is used, the hemostatic agents in the mixture may be 60%,70%, 80%, 90%, or 95% amylopectin with the remainder being amylose orsome other hemostatic agent. As discussed herein, amylopectin may beadvantageously employed as a hemostatic agent. While mixtures with 60%or more amylopectin or modified pregelatinized potato starch may beadvantageous, other mixtures of various hemostatic agents can beemployed without departing from the scope of the invention.

Sponges made according to the present invention may also include one ormore binding agents. Example binding agents may include polyethyleneglycol, glycerol, sorbitol, erythritol, propylene glycol,pentaerythritol, glycerol esters, hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose (HPMC),hydroxypropylcellulose (HPC), hydroxypropylethylcellulose (HPEC),xanthum gum, and guar gum. While water-soluble binding agents arepreferred, binding agents soluble in other solvents could be usedwithout departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, theinvention is not limited to sponges made using a single binding agent.One or more binding agents may be used to create the sponge withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention.

In some embodiments, the sponge may include a clotting accelerator tospeed the clotting process. Suitable clotting accelerators, for example,may include calcium sales such as calcium chloride, prothrombin, andvitamin K. The amount of clotting accelerator added to the sponge maydepend upon the application but it may be a small percentage by weightas compared to the hemostatic agent or a larger percentage by weight ofthe hemostatic agent.

In some embodiments, it may also be desirable to add medications to thesponge such as antibacterials, antifungals, or polyglucans. Suchmedications may be mixed in with the hemostatic agent while the spongeis being made or applied to the surface of the sponge after manufacture.

The inventors have found that a sponge where the percentage by weight ofbinding agent is approximately one quarter to approximately equal thatof the hemostatic agent can produce a sponge with desirable qualities.In some cases, the invention may produce good results where thepercentage by weight of binding agent is approximately one eighth toapproximately sixteen times that of the hemostatic agent A fairlyflexible sponge can be made using equal ratios of HPC and modifiedpregelatinized potato starch. A fairly flexible sponge may also be madeusing a ratio by weight of one half as much binder. Such sponges will bediscussed in more detail below. Sponges with other ratios of percentageby weight of the binding agent to the hemostatic agent can be madewithout departing from the scope of the invention.

Depending upon the type of wounds for which the sponge is intended, itmay be advantageous to create the sponge so that it has sufficientflexibility that it will not crack when bent a certain amount.Embodiments of the invention may be designed such that they can bendbetween 0 and 45 degrees, 0 and 60 degrees, 0 and 75 degrees, 0 and 90degrees, 0 and 105 degrees, 0 and 120 degrees, 0 and 135 degrees, 0 and150 degrees, 0 and 165 degrees, or 0 and 180 degrees (folded over)without cracking. The sponge created using a mixture of 1% modifiedpregelatinized potato starch/1% HPC described below may have sufficientflexibility to be bent in half without cracking. Any degree offlexibility is within the scope of the invention but some embodimentsmay have substantial flexibility.

Sponges according to the invention may be made by the following process.First, one or more binding agents may be dissolved in a solvent. A watersolvent is preferable but other solvents may be used without departingfrom the scope of the invention. The amount of binding agent used may bea percentage by weight of the solution. In a preferred embodiment, thebinding agent may be approximately 0.5% by weight of the solution butother percentages by weight may be used without departing from the scopeof the invention. While in this embodiment, the binding agent is firstdissolved in the solvent, the binding agent and hemostatic agent couldbe dissolved together without departing from the scope of the invention.

Second, an amount of a hemostatic agent may be added to the solution.Any of the hemostatic agents discussed above may be used. If a clottingaccelerator is being used, then it may be added at this time as well (orit may be added simultaneously with the binding agent and the hemostaticagent, simultaneously with the binding agent alone, or sequentiallybefore or after the hemostatic agent). The amount of starch may beapproximately 0.5-8% by weight of the solution. Also, the amount ofstarch by weight may be approximately one eighth up to approximatelysixteen times as great as the amount of binding agent by weight. Asdiscussed above, multiple hemostatic agents and binding agents may beused. In such situations, their collective weights and/or comparativeratios may be maintained as discussed above. Other percentages by weightand other comparative ratios may be used without departing from thescope of the invention.

After the solution is mixed, it may be sheared, such as, for example, byshearing in a blender. This step may be omitted without departing fromthe scope of the invention. Shearing may promote consistent mixing andproduce a more consistent sponge. The solution may then, optionally, bedegassed, particularly if bubbles are present prior to freeze drying.The solution may then be freeze dried using various conventionaltechniques.

While many different types of freeze drying can be used withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention, an example is to initiallyfreeze the solution to −40 degrees Celcius. Once the product reachesthat temperature, one may hold it at that temperature for an additional2 hours. When the condenser of the freeze drying apparatus reaches a setpoint of −60 degrees C., the chamber should begin to evacuate. Dryingmay initiate when the pressure reaches 100 mTorr. The vacuum may becontrolled at approximately 100 mTorr throughout the drying cycle.

During the drying cycle, the product may be held at −40 degrees Celciusfor 1 hour. Then, the product may be ramped to −20 degrees Celcius over2.5 hours. Then the product may be ramped to 0 degrees Celcius over 5hours and held at that temperature for an additional 5 hours. Then, theproduct may be ramped to 20 degrees Celcius over 1 hour and held at thattemperature for an additional 60 minutes.

Secondary drying may be initiated when the product probe temperaturereaches 22 degrees Celcius. At this point, heat may be added to heat theproduct to 25 degrees Celcius for 120 minutes with vacuum set to 100mTorr. Freezing and drying may be done in the same chamber or differentchambers and any other freeze drying technique used without departingfrom the scope of the invention.

As an example, a sponge may be prepared using water as a solvent andcreating a mixture of 2% by weight of modified pregelatinized potatostarch or modified pregelatinized amylopectin and 1% to 2% by weight ofHPMC. The mixture may then be freeze dried. Other examples includesponges made using mixtures with the following percentages by weight ofeach ingredient using water as a solvent: (a) 0.5% HPC and 2% modifiedpregelatinized potato starch or amylopectin, (b) 1% HPC and 2% modifiedpregelatinized potato starch or modified pregelatinized amylopectin, (c)1% HPC and 2% modified pregelatinized potato starch or modifiedpregelatinized amylopectin, or (d) 1% HPEC and 2% modifiedpregelatinized potato starch or modified pregelatinized amylopectin,

A sponge prepared according to the invention may be used to treat ableeding wound. The sponge may be placed in contact with the bleedingwound to speed up and promote clotting of blood around the wound. Someor all of the sponge may dissolve in the process of treating the wound.Excess material may be removed from the wound, in most cases withoutdamaging any clots that have formed. In applications such as bleedinggums or other oral tissue during oral surgery, application of the spongeto such wounds may rapidly stop bleeding in a convenient, easy to usemanner. Sponge material may be inserted into the nose to stop nosebleeds or greatly reduce the flow of blood. While these are exampleswhere the sponge may be particularly useful, it may be used for treatingany bleeding wound without departing from the scope of the invention.

The sponge material may also be used as a wound exudate treatment. Thesponge material with its hemostatic agents may be used as askin-sloughing agent to absorb puss from a wound.

The invention also encompasses the use of amylopectin, modifiedpregelatinized potato starch, pregelatinized starches, or modifiedpregelatinized starches in various forms as a hemostatic agent.Amylopectin particles may be used in various applications as ahemostatic agent. Modified (cross-linked) pregelatinized amylopectinparticles may be used as a hemostatic agent. This substance is easilyabsorbed by the body. It may promote stable clotting because it is along-branch molecule. It may also promote rapid clotting due to itsability to rapidly absorb water. Particles of other pregelatinizedstarches or modified pregelatinized starches may also be used ashemostatic agents and may perform better than hemostatic agents thathave not been pregelatinized. As was the case above in connection withthe sponge, amylopectin, modified pregelatinized amylopectin,pregelatinized starches, or modified pregelatinized polysaccharides maybe combined with one another or with other hemostatic agents in particleform (or in other forms as set forth below). Such a mixture couldinclude 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95% or any other percentage ofamylopectin, modified pregelatinized amylopectin, pregelatinizedstarches or modified pregelatinized starches, with the remainder of thehemostatic powder mixture being particles of another hemostatic agent(or another one of amylopectin, modified pregelatinized amylopectin,pregelatinized starches or modified pregelatinized starches).

Where a particle form of amylopectin, modified pregelatinizedamylopectin, pregelatinized starches or modified pregelatinized starchesis used as a hemostatic agent, particles of a clotting accelerator suchas those discussed above may be combined with the hemostatic agent intreating a wound. The same options discussed above in connection withsponge in terms of medications are applicable to the use of these agentsin particle form. Particles of the medication could be mixed with theparticles of hemostatic agent(s), and/or clotting accelators.

To make the amylopectin, modified pregelatinized amylopectin,amylopectin, modified pregelatinized amylopectin, pregelatinized starchor modified pregelatinized starch particles, the substance may bedissolved in a solvent and then freeze dried by any suitable freezedrying technique. In some cases, the amylopectin, modifiedpregelatinized amylopectin, pregelatinized starch or modifiedpregelatinized starch may be mixed, in a ratio by weight of 80/20,70/30, 60/40 or any other ratio, with one another or another hemostaticagent such as amylose. It may also be mixed with multiple hemostaticagents. In some cases, a clotting agent may be dissolved and mixed withthe hemostatic agents before freeze drying. The same options regardingshearing and degassing are applicable to the powder form of thehemostatic agent. The resulting particles may have an average diameterof 0.5 μm to 1,000 μm with a preferred mean diameter of 2 μm.

Persons of skill in the art will also recognize that techniques formaking starch fibers may be used to make fibers of amylopectin, modifiedpregelatinized amylopectin. Such techniques may also be useful formaking fibers of pregelatinized starch or modified pregelatinizedstarch. Fibers of modified pregelatinized potato starch may also bemade. Such fibers may include a clotting accelerator and/or a medicationin the form of one of the options above. Also, a mesh can be createdcontaining amylopectin or modified pregelatinized amylopectin. A meshmay also be created containing a pregelatinized starch or a modifiedpregelatinized starch.

Whether in the form of particles, fibers, or mesh, such hemostaticmaterial may be used to treat a bleeding wound or wound exudate. To doso, the hemostatic agent (alone or in combination with the various othersubstances discussed above) may be brought into contact with the wound.Where the wound is a bleeding wound, the hemostatic agent may enhancethe speed of clotting. In some embodiments, it may also form robustclots.

In some embodiments, amylopectin, modified pregelatinized amylopectin,and/or modified pregelatinized potato starch may form a portion of aporous solid structure. The porous solid structure may be used to treatwounds by applying the porous solid structure to such wounds and makingthe porous solid structure come into contact with the wound.

An experiment was run to determine the viscosity and water absorptioncapabilities of an embodiment of the invention. 3 grams of particles ofmodified pregelatinized amylopectin with a mesh size of approximately100 were emptied into a beaker containing 175 ml of water atapproximately 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The starch was added graduallyuntil it was visibly dissolved in the water. A viscometer was set at 60rpm and was used to measure the viscosity of the solution at T=0 andT=20 minutes. The viscosity was 20 cps at T=0 and 66 cps at T=20minutes. The high viscosity of this embodiment demonstrates the highwater absorption capability of the invention. Thus, under the above testconditions, it is believed that the viscosity of the test solution willrange between 15 and 25 cps at T=0 and 60-75 cps at T=20 minutes. Aviscosity of anything greater than 30 cps at T=20 minutes under theabove conditions is believed to be a substantial improvement overexisting hemostatic agents.

Any of the above described hemostatic agents may be used to create afilm. The film may be formed and used by itself as a hemostatic agent,or may be formed on another surface—such as the surface of a bandage. Tomake a film, the hemostatic agent may be dissolved in a solvent with abinder (with any of the percentages by weight discussed above). Aftermixing, the solvent is evaporated, leaving behind a film.

While particles of the invention may be sprinkled in a bleeding wound orsprinkled in a wound to use as a wound exudate, the hemostatic agents ofthe invention may also be used with bandages. The description belowdescribes two novel arrangements for bandages that may employ hemostaticagents. While any hemostatic agent may be used with the novel bandagesdescribed below, the new hemostatic agents described above may be mostadvantageous.

FIG. 1 illustrates a first example embodiment of a bandage 10 with ahemostatic agent. The bandage 10 may comprise tabs 12 and wound portion16. The wound portion will typically be placed over at least part of awound when the bandage 10 is used. Tabs 12 may be coated with anadhesive 14 on all of or at least a portion of the underside of tabs 12.Tabs 12 and wound portion 16 may be one piece or multiple pieces. Inthis embodiment, they are one piece. Tabs 12 and wound portion 16 may bemade of a layer of plastic. In this embodiment, bandage 12 ismanufactured such that tabs 12 are inclined relative to wound portion16.

By so manufacturing bandage 10, tabs 12 are configured such that theywill be in tension with the wound portion 16 when tabs 12 are attachedto the skin (or a covering over the skin) using the adhesive. Suchtension may be caused because tabs 12 will tend to exert a force as theytry to return to their original position. Because the tabs 12 whenadhered to the skin will tend to pull up on the skin, the tension withwound portion 16 may tend to cause wound portion 16 to press down on awound. Such positive pressure may assist in clotting blood. Positivepressure may also assist in causing a hemostatic agent to make contactwith a wound.

FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of a portion of the underside of woundportion 16 of bandage 10. As illustrated, bandage 10 comprises paddedmaterial 18, hemostatic agent 20, and removable covering 24. Each ofthese components is optional and may be omitted without departing fromthe scope of the invention. A hemostatic agent could simply be a film onthe underside of wound portion 16. In this embodiment, however,additional structure is provided.

Padded material 18 may be absorbent or unabsorbent. Padded material maybe adhesively attached to the underside of wound portion 16 or looselyor indirectly held in place, such as by using removable covering 24 tocover padded material 18 (not explicitly shown) around its edges. Paddedmaterial 18 may be omitted without departing from the scope of theinvention. Padded material 18 may include padded materials such as areused in ordinary adhesive bandages used for small cuts on the fingers.Padded material 18 may be any other suitable padded material withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention.

Hemostatic agent 20 may comprise any of the hemostatic agents discussedabove in any of the forms discussed above. Thus, for example, hemostaticagent 20 may be a polysaccharide, a starch, a pregelatinized starch, amodified pregelatinized starch, modified pregelatinized potato starch,amylopectin, potato starch, pregelatinized potato starch, pregelatinizedamylopectin, or modified pregelatinized amylopectin. A combination ofsuch hemostatic agents or a combination of these agents with otheragents may be used without departing from the scope of the invention.

Hemostatic agent 20 may comprise particles, a gauze, a mesh, a sponge,fibers, a film (such as on padded material 18), or a porous solid.Hemostatic agent 20 may be directly attached to wound portion 16 with anadhesive (when padded material 18 is omitted) or indirectly attached towound portion 16 by attachment to padded material 18 with an adhesive.More advantageously, hemostatic agent 20 may be attached to woundportion 16 directly or indirectly in a loose fashion so that whenbandage 10 is removed from a wound, there is a reduced chance of a scabor other clot being torn, damaged, or pulled from the wound.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, hemostatic agent 20 is attachedto wound portion 16 using removable cover 24. Removable cover 24 mayenclose hemostatic agent 20 and form a cover over it. Where paddedmaterial 18 is present, removable cover 24 may be placed over hemostaticagent and adhered to, for example, edges of hemostatic agent 20—where asponge or film. In other embodiments, removable cover 24 may be adheredto the underside of padded material 18 and/or wound portion 16 ofbandage 10. In addition to adhesive connections, removable cover 24could be fixed by a friction fit in a slot or using some other mechanismto create a compartment for hemostatic agent 20.

In this embodiment, removable cover 24 comprises tabs 22. While thisembodiment has two tabs 22, other embodiments may have one tab or morethan two tabs. Tabs 22 may be used to remove removable cover 24 afterbandage 10 has been affixed to a wound—thus exposing the wound tohemostatic agent 20. In some embodiments, removable cover 24 may have aperforation such that it tears when tabs 22 are pulled. In someembodiments, a portion of wound portion 16, or padded material 18 (whenpresent), may be recessed so as to better hold hemostatic agent 20 inplace during the removal of removable cover 24. Neither portion isrequired to be recessed, however. Removable cover 24 should beconfigured such that it does not cause hemostatic agent 20 to becompletely removed from the wound when removable cover 24 is beingremoved.

FIG. 3 illustrates a second example embodiment of a bandage 30 with ahemostatic agent in accordance with one aspect of the invention. Bandage30 comprises plunger 32 which may be depressed to apply pressure to awound. In some embodiments, plunger 32 may latch into position—either toremain in that position or to be released if the embodiment permitsrelease of the plunger. In other embodiments, plunger 32 may be helddown manually and may move back into its original position or close toits original position when released. Bandage 30 may include an adhesiveon the underside of bandage 30 outside of the area of plunger 32. Theadhesive may cover all or part of this area.

In an alternative embodiment, plunger 32 may be replaced simply by apadded material and a hemostatic agent, or a hemostatic agent alone onthe underside of bandage 30. A removable cover may be used to cover thehemostatic agent in such an embodiment. Any of the options discussedabove for the type of hemostatic agent (e.g. modified pregelatinizedamylopectin) and the form of the hemostatic agent (e.g. particles,sponge, etc) are applicable to such an embodiment. Any of the optionsdiscussed above in connection with FIG. 1 may be used to keep thehemostatic agent attached to bandage 30 either directly or indirectly.

FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of bandage 30 to illustrate the plunger32 prior to being depressed in one embodiment of the invention. Plungertabs 34 may be frangibly connected to plunger 32 or simply connected toan adhesive pad portion of bandage 30. In the example embodimentillustrated, an adhesive 36 is on the underside of a portion of bandage30. The adhesive may cover all or a portion of the underside of bandage30 and may be used to affix bandage 30 to the skin or a covering of theskin.

Bandage 30 may further comprise padded material 38, hemostatic agent 40,and removable cover 42 with tabs 44. All of the options discussed abovein connection with FIGS. 1-2 are equally applicable here for paddedmaterial 38, hemostatic agent 40, and removable cover 42. Some or all ofthese elements may be omitted and other elements added without departingfrom the scope of the invention. These elements may be configured in anidentical or similar manner to the configuration discussed above inconnection with FIGS. 1-2. Here, plunger tabs 34 may extend below thesurface of bandage 30 (not explicitly shown) to create a recess forpadded material 38, hemostatic material 40, or both. All of the optionsto create a recess discussed above are equally applicable and a recesscould be omitted without departing from the scope of the invention. Alloptions for the type and form of hemostatic agent discussed herein areoptions for hemostatic agent 40.

FIG. 5 illustrates plunger 32 in its depressed position. In thisembodiment, plunger 32 is latched in position by plunger tabs 34. Asdiscussed above, in some embodiments, plunger 32 may be released fromplunger tabs 34 while in other embodiments it will remain depressed. Inother embodiments, plunger 32 may not latch down and may be held downmanually.

The various embodiments discussed in connection with FIGS. 3-5 may beespecially advantageous for use in applications where a catheter isused. Such catheters may result in a fairly deep wound and theembodiments of the invention set forth may serve to enhance clotting ofsuch a wound.

In operation, any of the embodiments discussed in connection with FIGS.1-5 may be adhesively attached to the skin (or a covering on the skin)adjacent a wound. Once the bandage is adhered or partially adhered, allor a portion of the removable cover may be removed to expose the woundto a hemostatic agent.

Although the present invention has been described in detail, it shouldbe understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can bemade hereto without departing from the sphere and scope of the inventionas defined by the appended claims.

To aid the Patent Office and any readers of any patent issued on thisapplication and interpreting the claims appended hereto, Applicants wishto note that they do not intend any of the appended claims to invokeParagraph 6 of 35 U.S.C. §112 as it exists on the date of filing hereofunless “means for” or “step for” are used in the particular claim.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of treating a wound to clot bloodcomprising: applying particles of a non-porous pregelatinized potatostarch to a bleeding wound.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein theparticles of the non-porous pregelatinized potato starch have an averagediameter of 0.5 μm to 1,000 μm.
 3. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising applying particles of a clotting accelerator to the bleedingwound.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the clotting accelerator isselected from one of calcium chloride, prothrombin, and vitamin K. 5.The method of claim 3, wherein the particles of the non-porouspregelatinized potato starch and the particles of the clottingaccelerator have an average diameter of 0.5 μm to 1,000 μm.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising applying particles of a medicationto the bleeding wound.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the medicationis selected from one of an antibacterial, an antifungal, and apolyglucan.
 8. The method of claim 6, wherein the particles of thenon-porous pregelatinized potato starch and the particles of themedication have an average diameter of 0.5 μm to 1,000 μm.
 9. The methodof claim 1, further comprising: applying particles of a clottingaccelerator to the bleeding wound; and applying particles of amedication to the bleeding wound.
 10. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising applying particles of one or more additional hemostaticagents to the bleeding wound.
 11. A method of claim 1, wherein theapplying the particles of the non-porous pregelatinized potato starch tothe bleeding wound comprises sprinkling the particles of the non-porouspregelatinized potato starch into the bleeding wound.
 12. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the applying the particles of the non-porouspregelatinized potato starch to the bleeding wound comprises applyingthe particles of the non-porous pregelatinized potato starch to thewound using a bandage, the particles of the non-porous pregelatinizedpotato starch being directly attached to a wound portion of the bandageusing an adhesive.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the applying theparticles of the non-porous pregelatinized potato starch to the bleedingwound comprises applying the particles of the non-porous pregelatinizedpotato starch to the wound using a bandage, the particles of thenon-porous pregelatinized potato starch being indirectly attached to awound portion of the bandage using an adhesive and a padded material.